The present application relates generally to the field of printing systems. In some implementations, the present application relates more specifically to decorator presses.
In the printing industry, printing presses, such as web offset presses, typically have multiple printing stations, each printing station having a different color ink (such as Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black). Each printing station is dedicated for printing a particular ink color.
In other presses, an inking station may print one color for a first print run and then be filled with a different color for a second print run. One such example is a printing press for printing cans, such as soda cans, which is known as a decorator. The process of changing from the first color to the second color is called a color changeover.
Color changeovers can lead to significant press downtime. A changeover occurs, for example, when one of the inker's roller trains and ink distribution head is cleaned and then coupled to a source of a different colored ink. In one embodiment, the inkers may be mounted on a swing assembly that swings away from the press so that they can more readily be cleaned. The pump unit of the inker alone can weigh 50-60 lbs.